I Ain't Scared o' Nothin!
by Zairihannah
Summary: Four young turtles are home alone. Or are they? Something's stalking them! Chibi turtles and brotherly fluff! Rated for thematic elements and one scene.


**AN: Believe it or not, I actually got this idea from an **_**Alvin and the Chipmunks**_** episode. But I won't tell you the name of it yet because that would give it away! That, and my fic **_**More Ways Than One**_** seemed pretty popular, and I thought I would write another chibi turtles fic. They're so **_**cute**_**! Leo, Donnie, and Raph are nine and Mikey's almost nine in this story. And, just so you know, Raph is **_**not**_** meant to have a Brooklyn accent in this, he just doesn't always talk clearly. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I believe the title of the site "FanFiction" answers this question, but I'll say it anyway. I do not own any characters affiliated with the show TMNT, chibi or otherwise, nor do I own **_**Mighty Mouse**_** or Dora the Explorer. I don't even own the premise of this fic. All I own is the plot. Yay me!**

**I Ain't Scared o' Nothin'!**

The rumbling overhead made the turtle curled up on the couch jump in alarm, clutching his Dora the Explorer blanket in his hands. He watched the ceiling warily for a moment before returning his attention to the flickering TV in front of him. The thunderstorm raging overhead made it hard to hear the late night _Mighty Mouse_ cartoon marathon, but he was determined to distract himself from the loud noises.

"Michelangelo?" Said turtle leapt nearly a foot at the soft voice behind him and spun around. His sensei stood at the end of the couch, watching him, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "Forgive me, my son. I did not mean to frighten you."

"No prob—" Mikey cleared his throat when his voice raised dangerously high in pitch. "No problem, sensei. I wa'n't scared!"

Splinter smiled to himself before leaning down to pat his son's foot. "I just came to tell you that I am leaving. For some reason, our food rations have been rapidly diminishing, and we are in need of more supplies. I do not know when I will return, but I should be back before morning. When you see your brothers, make sure to inform them of this. Understood, Michelangelo?"

"_Hai_, sensei," Mikey nodded obediently, his eyes still glued to the screen. In truth, he hadn't heard a word the old rat had said, and this would surely come back to bite him later.

Splinter watched his son, one bushy eyebrow raised, before he sighed, muttering to himself, and tapped out of the lair, disappearing into the sewers beyond. Meanwhile, Michelangelo had not looked up from his thoroughly engaging cartoon, managing to only slightly wince when the thunder rumbled overhead.

Whilst the youngest turtle was engaged in his mindless television, as the turtle we are now visiting would call it, Donatello was engaged in a slightly more intellectual activity. He had recently found he quite enjoyed taking things apart, although he still had trouble with the "putting them back together" part. Currently, he was peering at the innards of a recently wrecked toaster through a magnifying glass. It defied logic the number of times said toaster had been totaled, each time in a different, more inventive way.

The thunder rumbling overhead made him jump everytime, making him lose his focus, which then took him a few seconds to regain. Donatello would have denied his skittish behavior if asked, but he had never been a big fan of loud noises. He reasoned with himself that the thunder was not the worrisome part of a thunderstorm—that would be the lightning, and that could not reach them down in the sewers.

Yet, when the thunder sounded as if the sky above were literally cracking in two, it was more than a little unsettling for the purple clad turtle. He swallowed a lump in his throat and returned to his scrutiny of the disemboweled toaster with a new relish.

A third turtle, this one in red, was sitting on the floor of the bedroom he shared with all his brothers, playing with a few action figures his father had found for him for his ninth birthday, one with both arms missing, one headless, and the other scuffed and scratched beyond recognition. Regardless, the turtle adored them and had very nearly committed fratricide when his purple clad brother had decided to take the headless one apart one day. Thankfully, said turtle had been able to repair the damage, although the action figure had remained headless.

"Take that, Spike!" The headless one exclaimed, being voiced by a high-pitched Raphael. The headless one, dubbed Killer by the red clad turtle, proceeded to beat the living daylights out of "Spike."

Spike, the figure with both arms missing, retaliated with just as much vigor, dull thuds resounding as Raphael beat both of the figures against the concrete floor beneath him. Psycho, the third figure, lay nearby, abandoned for the moment.

The fourth and final turtle was leaning his shell against the wall inside the dojo, his legs stretched out before him, deeply immersed in a thick book that his father had found him for _his_ ninth birthday, which was celebrated only five weeks before the red clad turtle's. The book, which was titled _Until the Day We Die_, was an epic romance, but the old rat, who could not read English and frankly got a headache whenever he tried, had presented it to his son with no hesitation, most likely because he had no _clue_ about the contents of the novel.

Leonardo was finding some of the scenes, indeed the _majority_, somewhat disturbing and most definitely not age appropriate, but he found himself unable to put the book down. He just _had_ to know if Kathleen would forgive Brock for cheating on her with Darla!

He had earlier retreated into the dojo, claiming he was going to meditate, in an effort to get away from his three noisy little brothers. True, Splinter had no way of knowing which of his sons actually _was_ the eldest, but he had very early deemed the birth order based on how he observed his sons interacting and their rates of development. Indeed, Leonardo had an air of maturity about him that caused Splinter to easily dub him the "eldest."

Leonardo was so deeply immersed in his novel that the thunder roaring above his head did not even faze him, but a sudden loud crash dangerously close to him made him jump a foot. He leapt to his feet, his book rolling on its spine before coming to a stop, and looked around wildly.

"Who's there?!" He hissed breathlessly. "Raph, if you're trying to scare me again, I'll tell Mikey that you're scared of bugs!" He waited, listening intently. "This isn't funny, Raph!" When further silence indicated that either his brother was not fazed by the threat or, indeed, his red clad brother had not been responsible for the crash, Leonardo plopped back to the mat and groped around blindly for his book, huffing in irritation when he realized he had lost his place.

Back inside the living room with Michelangelo, the orange clad turtle was giggling uncontrollably at a particularly funny scene happening on screen when he felt a sudden chill down his spine. He froze, his head straightening with a jerk, glancing around him wildly. He narrowed his eyes and whimpered, covering his head with his tattered and worn Dora the Explorer blanket. "Not funny, Raph!"

His call was met with an eerie silence, which was soon broken by a particularly loud clap of thunder. Michelangelo yelped unconsciously and dove for the couch, shaking uncontrollably. At a second clap of thunder, he leapt off the couch, fleeing in search of his sensei.

It took a few seconds before a vague memory resurfaced and he remembered that his sensei had left hours ago and had yet to return. Shaking and whimpering uncontrollably, he instead dashed towards the dojo, where he knew his oldest brother would be.

Donatello was still examining the toaster's innards, beginning to wonder why on earth he had decided to strip the toaster so bare. He had just decided to attempt to put the blasted thing back together when he felt something cold touch the back of his neck.

He leapt to his feet and whirled around, brandishing his fists to pummel whichever of his brothers had tried to scare him. When he saw nothing, his eyes widened and his heartrate tripled. "I must've imagined it," he muttered to himself, falling heavily back on his stool, his heart still thumping so hard that it hurt. "Get a hold of yourself, Donatello."

_"Donatello!"_ The turtle's blood went cold at the eerie whisper that sounded as if it were coming from directly behind him. He whirled around in a panic and could no longer contain his trembling when, once again, he saw nothing.

"Not happening, not happening, not happening!" He mumbled, staggering backwards, now desperate to reach the dojo before his "visitor" made another appearance.

Raphael had finally tired of beating his poor action figures, opting instead to roll onto his shell, using the glow of a flashlight to make shadow puppets on the ceiling. With only six fingers and relatively no skill, he only succeeded in making blobs with unrecognizable shapes, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

When the distinct shape of a bunny entered the soft yellow circle of light on the ceiling above his head, clearly not made by his own hands, he froze and his eyes widened. The bunny began hopping the perimeter of the circle, its ears twitching as Raphael began to pant heavily.

He wasted no time in rolling to his feet and bursting through the doorway, hoping that his oldest brother was still in the dojo at this hour.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

Leonardo had still not found his place in his book when the door to the dojo was suddenly thrown open and his three panicked little brothers tore in, yelling something about whispers, cold fingers, and shadow puppets.

He blinked at them owlishly, wondering why on earth he had such weird brothers, as his orange clad brother reached him first, throwing himself into his arms and sobbing uncontrollably. His purple clad brother skidded to a stop and sat next to him, suddenly looking embarrassed, playing with his toes as he mumbled something about how he really wasn't scared, he had just wanted to see if Leo was okay.

If his second older and only younger brother had not beaten him to his brother's side, Raphael probably would have copied Michelangelo and thrown himself into his brother's arms. But, as it was, he too skidded to a halt and plopped down on the floor three feet from his brothers.

Leo stared at his three younger brothers, brow ridges raised, a clear question in his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"YES!" Mikey whimpered from his place curled up on his eldest brother's lap, pressed to his plastron. "THE LAIR'S HAUNTED!"

Leo had to resist the urge to burst into giggles at that, but said giggles died instantly when he saw how his youngest brother's exclamation had made his other two brothers turn a sickly pale green color. "What's this about, guys?"

"Well," Donnie began, sounding shaken and unsure of himself, "I _may_ have felt as if hands were on the back of my neck and I _may_ have thought I heard somebody whisper my name, but nobody was there."

"It ain't like somebody was makin' shadow puppets when nobody was there or nothin'," Raph butted in, wondering if it was worth sacrificing his pride to join Mikey on Leo's lap.

Leo watched his brothers for a minute, shockingly calm considering that they were claiming to each have had an encounter with a ghost. He remembered vaguely hearing the crash in the dojo, and an eerie thought occurred to him. _Well, there wasn't anybody in here when that happened. And sensei _is_ always talking about spiritual stuff and spirits. It _could_ be possible_.

He looked at each of his brothers in turn before he noticed just how badly Raph was shaking and managed to lock gazes with him, motioning him over with his head. Raph hesitated for a moment before crawling over and curling up on his brother's other side when Leo lifted his arm in an invitation.

"Well," Donnie suddenly interjected, watching enviously as his two little brothers snuggled against Leo, "If there _is_ a ghost here, and I'm not saying there is, we should try to appease it somehow."

Mikey lifted his head from where he had hidden his face against his brother's plastron and locked his red-rimmed eyes on his second eldest brother, sniffling. "What does applease mean?"

"_Appease_, Mikey," Donnie corrected kindly. "It means to satisfy somebody, or to make him happy. Give him what he wants. You know?"

Mikey didn't, but he nodded anyway.

Leo set his jaw, wondering if there really might be an undead spirit floating around in their lair. If there was, how _dare_ it harass his little brothers! Despite his brother's attempt at being strong, he knew that Donnie was just as shaken up as the two youngest turtles.

"How do we applease this ghost thingy?" Raph spoke up, his voice soft and muffled against Leo's shoulder.

"_Appease_," Donnie corrected once more, this time with a hint of exasperation in his voice. "And, how should I know? We don't know what it wants!"

"Maybe," Mikey exclaimed, sitting up on Leo's lap, his face suddenly bright, "we can write it a note and _ask_ it what it wants!" Without waiting for a response, the now excited orange clad turtle crawled off of his brother's thighs, standing up once he was a few feet away. "I think there's some paper and a pencil stub in the living room!"

Once he was gone, Raph wasted no time in clambering on top of his brother, no longer afraid of being "macho" in front of his two _older_ brothers, although Donnie did have his nerdy tendencies. Unlike Michelangelo, he had _no_ desire to contact the undead, the very idea giving him nightmares. "What if the ghost doesn't want to be contacted?" He asked breathily. "It might make it more madder!"

"It's just 'madder,' Raph," Donnie corrected tiredly. "'More madder' is redundant."

Leo sighed and grunted as he adjusted the second brother that had been on his lap tonight. "I'm sure that if this spirit is bothering us, Raphie, it _wants_ to be found. It _wants_ us to contact it."

Raph still didn't look sure, his newly nine year old mind able to think up any number of scenarios that would end in the evil spirit that had tormented him doing something terrible and "ghost-y" that would give him nightmares for the rest of his life. But, he was already being enough of a baby with being on Leo's lap at the moment, so he didn't want to voice these fears.

At that moment, Mikey barged in and Raph promptly flung himself to the side, moving his legs into a cross-legged position so that his little brother would be none the wiser. Leo watched him with amusement in his eyes before returning his attention to the still excited Michelangelo.

"Okay!" The hyperactive orange clad turtle exclaimed. "I have everything we need to write our note, but . . ." his voice trailed off as he turned imploring eyes on his second oldest brother.

Donnie masked his own insecurities with a bored expression as he took the pencil stub and stained and torn pad of paper from his youngest brother. As far as he knew, he was the only turtle that could write, although Leo could read quite well. Their master did not know how to read and write English himself, so the two oldest turtles had, had to teach themselves. One day they vowed to teach their younger brothers their skills.

Mikey could read a little, which allowed him to be able to vaguely grasp the colorful comics that Splinter found him, but putting the words on paper was torture for him, and his penmanship was terrible anyway. He gladly left the job of "contacting the spirit" to his smartest brother.

"What should I say?" Donnie asked, still keeping up with the bored façade as he met his brothers' gazes. He knew he wasn't fooling Leo for a second, but he didn't care about that as long as Mikey and Raph didn't realize how scared he was.

Mikey was deep in thought, clearly pondering the question, while Leo closed his eyes, as if he were seeking the answer from the cosmos, which he probably was. Raph was still trembling and reached out to grab Leo's hand. Donnie smirked to himself. His little brother could put up a brave façade for just about anything, _except_ for bugs, and apparently "ghosts" too.

It wasn't that Donnie didn't _believe_ in ghosts, per se, but he didn't necessarily think that the existence of supernatural, undead entities could be proven either. Nevertheless, remembering the cold fingers and the eerie whisper, he shivered and pressed the tip of the pencil stub to the paper. "I'm drawin' a blank here, guys. A little help?"

"Ooh, I know!" Mikey exclaimed, bouncing as he continued. "How—about—we—just—say—?"

"Mikey, stop bouncing," Leo chided, his eyes still shut tight. "We can't understand what you're saying."

Mikey pouted at him before his excitement once again took over and he was soon beaming once more. "I think we should just say 'Hi, Mrs. Ghost, we are your friends and we want to know what you want'?"

Leo finally opened his eyes, joining Donnie and Raph in exchanging odd looks with each other. "Uh, Mike?" Donnie asked after some time, reluctantly submitting himself to the full blast of his little brother's puppy dog eyes and thousand-watt smile by turning to face the smallest turtle. "We _aren't_ friends with this 'ghost' and I'm not sure that it would appreciate being lied to—"

"Yah!" Raph interrupted, tightening his grip on Leo's hand. "Don't be stupid! Ghosts don't have _friends_, shell-fer-brains! 'Sides, how do ya know it's a _girl_?"

"I just do," Mikey retorted, looking wounded at the shooting down of what he considered a brilliant idea.

Leo sighed, glancing back regretfully at _Until the Day We Die_ before firmly interrupting the growing "debate" among the three younger turtles. "Guys, how 'bout this?!" The other three abruptly quieted at their eldest brother's exclamation, turning as one to face him eagerly. Leo suddenly panicked, now having to comb his brain for an idea. _Why_ didn't he think these things through before he opened his mouth?! "Uh, I—think Mikey has the general idea, but—maybe it should just have a little more—formality!"

"Forma-whatee?" Mikey asked in confusion, clearly ignorant of that particular word's meaning.

"Yeah!" Leo continued, feeling as if he were on a roll. "Something like, um, 'Dear Ghost, We have noticed your attempts at, uh—contacting!—us and we were, uh, wondering why. We—uh, come in peace!—and only want to help you in your journey to the next life! Signed, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo'!"

He looked so proud of himself, that his brothers weren't entirely sure how to tell him how—odd—that sounded. "We come in peace?" Donnie finally asked, being the only one brave enough to speak up. "Need I remind you that the _ghost_ came _here_?"

Leo's green cheeks flushed a very pale pink and he glared heatedly at his oldest younger brother. "Well, I'd like to see _you_ come up with something!"

Donnie shrugged, poising the pencil stub above the paper pad like a knife over a heart. "If you insist." His brothers watched with interested looks that they tried to pass as _un_interested as their brother began painstakingly writing the words that came to his mind.

After watching his brother struggle, Leo piped up, "Do you think the ghost can read Japanese calligraphy?"

Donnie huffed in annoyance at being interrupted, glowering up at his brother. "_No_, Leonardo, I do _not_ think that the ghost can read Japanese calligraphy. _Why_ would a ghost be able to read Japanese _anything_?" Leo's only response was to raise a single brow ridge as his brother returned to penciling their 'note.'

After a painstaking two minutes, Donnie had completed his "masterpiece" and presented it proudly to his older brother. All three of the younger turtles looked on, two in eagerness and one in nervousness, as Leo plucked the paper between his thumb and index finger before holding it up to the light and peering closely at it.

He tried. He really did. He really, _really_ did. But, he simply could _not_ make heads or tails of the message that his brother had written. It wasn't that it was overly complicated or elaborate. It was simply _illegible_.

"Uh," he began uncertainly, glancing up and making the fatal mistake of meeting his brother's shiny-eyed gaze, "it's—interesting—Donnie." He peered once more at the paper, hoping that the words would suddenly make sense, but it still looked like scribbles. "Um, what does it say?"

Donnie looked confused, clearly misunderstanding the reason behind his brother's question. "It's not _that_ complicated, Leo." The other turtle only smiled wearily. "It says 'Dear Ghost, We, the residents of this lair, have recently noticed your efforts to gain our attention and we are now wondering what the specific nature of your plight is. Signed, Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo'."

"Why am _I_ always last?" Mikey whined.

"What?" Raph asked in confusion.

Leo had understood most of the letter, although he had no idea what "plight" meant, but he had _also_ no idea how his brother thought that his illegible scribbles came out to _that_. And he thought _Mikey_ had bad handwriting.

"Uh, right!" Leo suddenly exclaimed, having had a sudden epiphany. "You know what, Don? I think I'm going to copy this onto some of that nice stationary paper that Master Splinter found. We wouldn't want the ghost to see your—uh, nice note—on this old thing, would we?"

Donnie looked confused. "But, Leo, you can't write!"

"I'll just—copy what you wrote!" He hastily replied, standing up and hurrying out of the dojo in search of the stationary paper. "Be right back!" He called back over his shoulder.

Raph looked confused. "Where _is_ Master Splinter anyway?"

"He went scavenging," Mikey said cheerily, not noticing when his two older brothers turned to stare at him.

"And you just thought to tell us that NOW?!"

Leo had to rummage a bit, but he eventually found a crisp sheet of the lavender-scented stationary paper and wrote the note out as well as he could remember it in his best handwriting. Although Splinter could not read or write English, he _could_ read and write a little in Japanese, and had recently taught his eldest son the art of Japanese calligraphy. Unbeknownst to his brothers, Leo had recently been teaching himself to write English and was applying his calligraphy skills to his English skills.

When he was finished, the note was now written in elegant cursive that put his brother's chicken scrawl to shame. (Not that, that would be hard to do.)

What Donnie didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

When Leo returned to the dojo, he found Mikey on his plastron with Donnie sitting atop his shell and Raph smacking him repeatedly on the back of the head. The two assaulters froze at their brother's approach, wordlessly letting their younger brother up and sitting cross-legged on the floor of the dojo. Leo said nothing as he tucked the note into his belt and strolled over to his brother. "Are you okay, Mikey?"

"I jus' forgot!" Mikey whined pathetically, nodding his head and bemoaning his misfortune. "I didn' mean to!"

"You didn't mean to what?"

"I forgot to tell 'em that Mastah Splintah wa'n't 'ere!"

Leo blinked. "That's what this is about?" He glared at his other two brothers, who deftly avoided his gaze. He sighed, deciding to deal with them later, as he stepped forward and picked his small brother up, setting him on his feet. "There. All better?"

Mikey nodded, grabbing his brother's hand and sticking his tongue out at his other brothers as Leo led him towards the meditation mats in the corner of the dojo where his book still sat and sat him down. "Come here, you two."

Donnie and Raph obeyed without protest, feeling thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Leo watched as they crawled over, sitting across from their younger brother. "Now, apologize while I go set this note out where the ghost will find it." He gave his two older younger brothers a warning look, doing the "I'm watching you" hand signal, before he disappeared out the door of the dojo.

"I'm sorry, Mike," Donnie was first, crawling over and wrapping his little brother in a hug. "You're right. It's not a big deal that you forgot."

"Sorry, Mike," Raph grunted, refusing to crawl over even after Donnie glared at him. He remained rooted to his spot until Leo reentered, at which point he hurried over and wrapped one arm around a startled Mikey.

"There!" Leo exclaimed. "Now we wait!" He watched his brothers in confusion, noting how Donnie was glaring at Raph and how uncomfortable Mikey looked. _I've really gotta stop playing Master Splinter_, he muttered to himself as he trudged over to join his siblings.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

"Do you think she found the note yet?" Mikey whispered from his place peeking out the door to the dojo. Donnie stood over him, peering closely out into the lair, sticking his tongue through the new hole in his mouth where he had lost his sixth baby tooth. He glanced down at his little brother crouched low to the ground, wedged between him and the door, and groaned inwardly.

"How would I know, Mikey?" The older turtle murmured back. "And how do you know it's a 'she'?"

"I already told you!" Mikey hissed, his eyes never leaving the small, scuffed-up coffee table set between the couch and the TV where their 'note' lay, currently untouched. "I just do!"

Donnie sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Mikey."

"Psst!" Donnie looked back over his shoulder at Raph, who was currently huddled behind Leo. The oldest turtle had finally found his place in _Until the Day We Die_ and was already engrossed in the story, ignoring his hyperventilating little brother clinging to his shell. "Anythin' yet?!"

"What do _you_ think?" Donnie hissed back. "And, will you quite being a baby and get your shell over here?"

"You're not the boss o' me!" Raph retorted, clinging tighter to his brother's shell and pressing his face to Leo's carapace.

Donnie huffed in annoyance. "Raph, if you don't get your shell over here right now, I am going to tell the ghost to haunt you for the rest of your life!"

"Donatello, stop trying to scare Raphie," Leo scolded without even glancing up from his book. Donnie shot his older brother an annoyed look, wondering how on earth he could read his novel and yet still be aware of his surroundings.

"Yeah, Dorka_tello_!" Raph echoed. "Stop tryin' ta scare me! It won't work anyway!" He mustered up the bravest face he could at the moment. "I'mma not scared o' some stupid _ghost_!"

Donnie quirked his brow ridge at that and Raph suddenly got the feeling that he had just made the biggest mistake of his short life. "That so?" Raph nodded indignantly, never one to contradict himself. "If you're not scared of 'some stupid ghost' then why are you huddling behind Leo and not up here with us like a grown turtle?"

Raph stuck his tongue out. "I jus' don' wanna!"

"Nuh uh!" Donnie shook his head. "You're just a big baby!"

"I am _not_!"

"Are _too_!"

"Am _not_!"

"Are too!"

"Am—!"

"Guys!" Leo suddenly hissed, cutting off their argument. "Be quiet! Kathleen's about to tell Brock how she feels about him, and I'm gonna miss it because you guys are bickering!"

"Uh, Leo?" Donnie asked tentatively, wincing when the older turtle shot him a death glare. "It's a book. Not a movie. How could you miss it?"

"Humph!" Leo spluttered, returning to his book with a stormy expression on his face. "No one appreciates good literature!"

"O_kaaay_," Donnie said, drawing out the word. "Whatever you say, big brother." He returned his attention to Raph, who had since forced himself to sit a few feet away from Leo, his arms folded and a scowl on his face.

"I'm not goin' up there and you can't make me!" He hissed, careful to keep his voice down so that the turtle sitting next to him wouldn't turn on him.

"Whatever, _baby_," Donnie turned back around, about to ask Mikey a question as he counted down mentally—

"I'M NOT A BABY!"

"RAPHAEL!" Leo exclaimed right one cue, whirling on his brother. "BE QUIET, _PLEASE_!" With a huff of annoyance, he once again buried his beak in the romance novel.

Raph glared at his brother. "You're not the boss of me either!"

At that, he froze and, very slowly, marked his place, set his book aside, and turned to face his furious younger brother. "Oh yeah?"

"Yah!"

Leo turned and he and Donnie shared a conspiratorial look. "C'mere!" Leo suddenly exclaimed.

Raph didn't look the least bit concerned until he realized that _both_ of his older brothers were stalking towards him. "I'll tell Master Splinter!" He cried, wondering if he could take them both on.

"Master Splinter's not here!" Donnie taunted.

"And we just wanna play!" Leo added, grinning evilly.

Raph squealed in alarm when the two bigger and older turtles descended on him, malice and irritation seething from them.

Meanwhile, Mikey was still crouched, transfixed, in the doorway of the dojo, his eyes having not left the note even when he could hear the beginnings of a wrestling match behind him. As he watched in horror, the note was suddenly lifted above the coffee table by a cold breeze that blew through the room and carried it away on that breeze, disappearing into another area of the lair.

Mikey shivered. Even he knew that cold breezes did _not_ blow through the sewers like that, indeed, at _all_. "Hey, guys!" He swung around and was met by an odd sight.

Donnie was sitting on the meditation mats with a hollering and cursing Raph sprawled over his knees while he slapped the back of the younger turtle's legs with one of the wooden swords that they used for practice. Leo was hovering in front of them, helping to hold his brother down.

They both glanced up at their youngest brother's exclamation, clearly thinking that the display was not out of the ordinary. Mikey stared at them for a moment longer before glancing down at his immediate older brother. "Um, what are you guys doing?"

"Teaching Raphie a lesson!" Donnie answered. "Isn't that right, Raphie?!"

"Let me up!" Raph cried, squirming and slapping his brother's calves repeatedly. "You've made your point! I surrender! UNCLE! UNCLE!"

"A'ight, Don," Leo said, satisfied with that. "Let 'im up."

"Aww!" Donnie, who was _not_ satisfied with that, complained. "But I only hit him like," he mentally counted in his head, "uh, six times!"

"If by _six_, you mean _twunny six_!" Raph butted in. "Now, lemme go!"

Donnie pouted but shoved his brother off his knees. Raph rolled until he managed to stop himself, sitting up and glaring at both of his older brothers before standing up and marching towards where his younger brother still stood frozen in the doorway, calling back over his shoulder. "I am _so_ telling sensei when he gets back!" He peeked out the doorway and froze himself. "Hey, wa'n't that note suppose' to be on the coffee table?"

"That's where I put it," Leo replied, standing up and strolling over, looking annoyed when Raph automatically moved away from him. "It was just a joke, Raph. Stop bein' such a baby."

"I'M NOT A BABY!"

"Fine!" Donnie agreed, performing a series of flips until he landed in front of his brothers. "You're a _wimp_ then!"

"AM NOT!"

"Guys, the note's gone!" Leo interrupted the soon-to-be argument, immediately silencing his two older younger brothers.

"Yeah, that's what I was going ta tell you guys!" Mikey said. "A cold breeze blew through, picked it up, and took it away. I saw the whole thing!"

Leo and Don shared an incredulous look over their youngest brother's head, and Mikey noticed. "I really did!"

Raph's eyes suddenly widened. "THERE REALLY IS A GHOST!" He shrieked, leaping three feet into the air and dashing towards the wardrobe in the back right corner of the dojo where their master stored their practice weapons. His brothers watched in bewilderment as he leapt inside and slammed the door behind him.

"Not it!" Leo suddenly exclaimed, stepping back with his hands in the air.

Don glared at him. "Fine, whatever," he grumbled as he spun on his heel and marched to the wardrobe.

"Are you sure, Mikey?" Leo asked his youngest brother, the sounds of a heated argument between the two middle brothers in the background.

Mikey nodded and grabbed his brother's hand. "It was real scary, Leo!"

Leo resisted the urge to smile, squeezing his brother's hand reassuringly and patting his carapace. "I'm sure it was, Mikey."

"I'MMA NOT COMIN' OUT!"

"STOP BEIN' A BABY AN' GET YOUR SHELL OUT HERE!"

"You know," Leo commented, beginning to soothingly rub his youngest brother's shell. "I think Donnie must be tired or something. I've _never_ seen him this irritable!"

"Yeah," Mikey agreed, leaning against his brother, "usually _Raph's _the irritable one. Donnie's usually really nice."

"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

"YOU WANNA BET?!"

"Hey—! No—! PUT ME DOWN!"

"HOLD STILL!"

Leo and Mikey shared confused looks as they turned to glance back at the wardrobe. Donnie had apparently forced the doors open and scooped his younger brother onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. He was currently stalking back with Raph kicking and screaming the entire way.

"What?!" Donnie demanded once he had reached them, leaning forward and rolling Raph over his head where he fell to the ground with a _thud_. "I got him out so now _you_," he pointed at Leo, "deal with him!"

"Uh, Donnie?" Leo asked tentatively, slowly stepping forward and crouching beside his fallen brother. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?!"

Leo suddenly blinked, realizing what the problem must be. "We're out of coffee again, aren't we?" And _this_ was why he had told Splinter that a nine year old turtle should _not_ be allowed to drink that much caffeine. The rat did not know the evils of such a substance, having just assumed that his son was going through a phase.

"WHAT IF WE ARE?!"

At the sound of sniffling coming from below him, Leo turned his attention to Raph and picked him up, setting him on his feet and patting his carapace gently. "It's okay, Raph. Donnie's just a little irritable beca—"

"WHO ASKED YOU?!"

Leo blinked up at his brother before turning to his youngest brother. "Mike, would you go go get the _you-know-what_?"

"What're you talking about?!"

"Okay!" Mikey agreed, eager to be away from his currently irate brother.

After a few minutes of glaring murderously at his elder brother but receiving nothing but calm looks in return, the purple clad turtle finally gave up and slumped to the floor, rubbing his head. Only a few minutes later, Mikey rushed back in, looking wild-eyed as he threw a packet of coffee beans in his second oldest brother's face.

"Something wrong, Mikey?" Leo asked teasingly after his orange clad brother threw himself into his arms, whimpering.

"I _saw_ her!" The youngest turtle whimpered, pressing his face to his brother's plastron. "And she's _ugly_!"

"Who?" Donnie asked. The two currently not traumatized turtles glanced up to find that their brother was munching on a handful of the dry coffee beans. "What?" They could already see the irritation melting off of his face, being replaced by his normally calm disposition.

"That is _so_ disgusting," Raph grumbled, turning away from what he considered a frightening picture.

"Well, at least he's no longer screaming at us like a banshee."

"What's a banshee?"

"It's like a female spirit that announces people's deaths or something, and it has this really scary scream."

"_That's it_!" Mikey suddenly hissed. "What if the ghost is a banshee?! What if one of us is about to die?! What if—?!" Raph swatted the back of his head. "OW!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mikey!" Donnie interrupted cheerfully, approaching them while still munching on the coffee beans. "Banshees aren't real!"

Leo set his jaw and scowled, folding his arms over his plastron. His brothers glanced up, startled, when he growled. "I don't care _what_ she is! No one barges into our home and starts harassing my little brothers!"

"I'm only two and a half weeks younger than you," Donnie muttered, popping another coffee bean into his mouth, relishing the bitter taste on his tongue as he could literally feel his blood sugar rising.

"My _point_ is," Leo continued, glancing disapprovingly at his still munching younger brother, "we have to find a way to get rid of her."

Mikey had since pulled away from his eldest brother's embrace, once more peeking out the door and blinking in surprise. "Will that help?" He pointed at something outside the dojo.

His brothers immediately quieted, looking confused as they trotted over and joined their younger brother. Sitting on the coffee table was a note, this one on a larger piece of paper.

"Okay, I am _officially_ creeped out," Donnie muttered, never once pausing in his munching as he backed away. "This is all yours, Leo!"

"Uh, yeah!" Raph agreed, following his immediate older brother. "After all, you sorta, kinda wrote the thing!"

"Have fun!" Mikey waved as he dashed after his purple and red clad brothers.

Leo watched after them with both brow ridges raised. "I can just feel the love, guys." His three younger brothers smiled wide, fake smiles and gave him cheeky thumbs-up's.

Leo rolled his eyes, turning on his heel and marching out the door of the dojo, stalking over and scooping up the note. The moment his hands made contact with the coarse paper, an unnatural chill went down his spine and he whimpered. Note in hand, he hightailed it back to the dojo and skidded to a stop in front of his brothers, panting heavily.

Without a word, he held the note out to his immediate younger brother, who reached out and plucked it from his hands. After smoothing the note and clearing his throat, Donnie peered closely at it and pursed his beak. "It reads: 'Be warned, residents of this lair. My name is Belinda MaGregor, and I have been the spirit of these sewers since my passing fifty-three years prior. I am unable to pass on to the next world because my soul is bound to these underground tunnels. In a junction under Harlington and 2nd Chester Streets, you will find a sewer tunnel. Follow that tunnel to a room. Inside of that room is my body. What you must do is remove the ring on my finger, and then I will be able to pass on. Signed, Belinda MacGregor'."

The four turtle brothers shared a long, wide-eyed look before they all had the same idea, "AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"I TOLD YOU GUYS SHE WAS A GIRL!"

"OH SHELL, THERE REALLY IS A GHOST! WHAT'RE WE GONNA DO?!"

"Guys, we have to help her!"

A collective pause ensued once the other three realized their fourth brother was absent. "RAPH!"

"I'M NOT COMING OUT!" Came their red clad brother's voice, once again from inside the wardrobe. "Nuh uh, no way! I ain't gonna help no ghost 'move on' to the next life!"

Mikey automatically took a step back, whistling with his hands behind his shell, watching his two older brothers. Donnie made as if to do the same, but his older brother grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the wardrobe. Together, they were able to pry the doors open.

"Come on, Raphie," Leo coaxed, crouching down so he was at his brother's current level. "We won't let the ghost get you. If you want to get rid of her, you have to help us help _her_."

"Nuh uh!" Raph muttered, shaking his head stubbornly.

Donnie crawled inside the wardrobe and plopped down beside his brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and drawing him to his plastron. "I know you're scared, Raphie, but this ghost isn't going to go away until we help her."

Raph shook his head, too scared to fight against his brother. "I don' wanna!" He fought to keep his lips from quivering, his eyelids threatening to overflow with tears. "An' you can't make me!" He suddenly paused. "I mean, you can't tell me what to do!"

"Raphie," Leo said quietly, joining his brothers in the wardrobe and settling on the other side of his distraught brother. "If you don't come with us, you'll be in the lair all alone with her."

That made Raph freeze. He lifted his head from Donnie's plastron, glancing from one turtle to the other before he sighed, looking defeated. "I'm not scared," he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I jus' don' like ghosts!"

"We know, Raphie," Donnie soothed as he guided his brother to the door of the wardrobe. "Come on, we'll be right with you."

"I'm not scared," Raph kept insisting as he allowed his immediate older brother to take his hand and lead him to where Mikey stood nervously waiting for them.

Leo set his jaw and gazed long and hard at each of his brothers before declaring, "If we're gonna do this, we'd better do it before Father gets back."

The three younger turtles nodded, following him out the door of the dojo and to the door of their lair.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

Anybody who would tell you that the sewer is a quiet place is lying. The gushing of the underground rivers permeated through the walls, accompanied by the constant _drip drop_ of the pipes. The scuttling sounds of the various critters that called the sewer home sounded every once in awhile. Overhead, the rumbling of late night traffic made the ceiling of the sewer shake, sometimes raining showers of dust down on the four small turtles.

The tallest and thinnest of the turtles was wearing a purple bandanna, holding a dull flashlight out in front of him as he led the way. Clinging to his shell was a head shorter but decidedly chubbier turtle sporting orange, his eyes never once staying still. Trailing a few feet behind was the blue clad oldest, a few inches shorter than the purple clad turtle, but with more of an average build. Holding hands with the blue clad turtle, a turtle in red, who was between the blue and orange clad turtles heights but a little thicker than his brothers, was whimpering quietly, his eyes never still as well.

They made an odd sight as they searched for the junction under Harlington and 2nd Chester, the place where their resident ghost had told them to go to assist her in "moving on."

"Are we there yet?" Mikey whimpered.

Donnie paused as he held his flashlight toward the wall on his right. After reading the words on a grimy sign, his face split into a grin. "Yeah, actually, we are!"

"Finally!" Leo breathed, tugging gently on his younger brother's hand as they hurried to catch up.

"And there's the tunnel!" Mikey exclaimed, pointing to where a circular tunnel situated a few feet above the current water level was.

Donnie led the way over, having to stand on his tiptoes in order to shine the flashlight's dim light into the tunnel. "I can't see a thing!" He called back, his voice echoing dully as it bounced off the cement walls of the tunnel.

"All right, Mikey," Leo said, taking charge. "Are you up for a little scouting duty?"

Mikey thought for a minute before nodding enthusiastically.

"Okay," Leo stepped up behind his brother and crouched down, wrapping his arms around the bottom of his shell. "I'm gonna lift you up and you climb into the tunnel, okay?"

"You really think you can lift him like that, Leo?" Donnie asked apprehensively.

Leo rolled his eyes at his immediate little brother as he stood up, easily lifting his youngest brother up high enough to where he could brace himself against the edge of the tunnel. "Can you pull yourself up?"

"I'm a ninja, dude!" Mikey replied, wriggling himself up high enough to where he could get a better grip on the tunnel. "Can you give me a little boost?"

"Hold on!" Leo slid his arms down to firmly grasp his brother's calves as he thrust him upward. Mikey squealed in glee as he shot into the tunnel, scrambling to grab hold in order to avoid simply slipping back out.

"How ya doin', Mikey?!" Leo called as his other two brothers joined him.

"It's slippery!" Mikey called back as he wriggled the rest of the way up into the tunnel. "And it smells!"

"Do you _see_ anything?!" Donnie called up, cupping his free hand around his mouth.

Silence for a few minutes before, "Nope! It's pitch black up here!"

"All right, Don," Leo pressed his shell to the wall between the water and the opening of the tunnel. "I'll give you a boost." He cupped his hands and lowered them so they nearly touched the water.

"Whateva you say, boss!" Donnie saluted cheekily, earning an eye roll from his older brother, as he trotted forward and fit his foot into his brother's cupped hands. Once he felt solid, he lifted up on that one foot at the same time that his brother thrust him upwards.

"Whoa!" Donnie exclaimed, finding himself already halfway inside the sewer tunnel. "Easy there, big brother!" He pushed the flashlight a few inches in front of him as he wriggled the rest of the way up.

"Good, it was getting dark in here!" Mikey cheered as he scooped up the flashlight and reached out his other hand to pull his brother to his feet.

"Okay, Raph," Leo said as he crouched on all fours in the foot deep water, this particular water flowing from the flushing system and devoid of any sewage. "Stand on my shell and have Donnie pull you up."

"How're _you_ gonna get up?" Raph asked as he shakily climbed onto his brother's shell, teetering dangerously before he was able to grab the edge of the sewer tunnel.

Leo would have shrugged if he could have. "I'll figure out a way. Pull him up, Donnie!"

"On it!" Came the echoey voice up top as their brother leaned down and slid his arms between his brother's braced ones and locked his hands on the top of his shell. "On three, you jump and I'll lift. Okay, Raphie?" Donnie asked after he was sure he had a good hold on his brother.

"Whatever," Raph grunted, reaching up to lock his hands behind his brother's neck.

"One, two—THREE!" Raph jumped as best as he could at the same time Donnie tensed and lifted him, scooting backwards as he did. He didn't stop until his younger brother was completely inside the tunnel.

"Geez, Raph!" Donnie grunted once they had released their death grips on each other. "You're heavy!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am _not_!"

"Are _too_!"

"Am—!"

"Will you two pipe down?" The two arguing turtles glanced at the mouth of the tunnel to find their eldest brother was crouched behind them. "What?"

"How did you—?" Donnie began in bewilderment.

Leo shrugged. "I jumped." Without a backward glance at his two dumbfounded brothers, he stood and pushed past them, heading for where his youngest brother stood. "Are you two coming?!"

Donnie and Raph shared a look before trudging after their brother. They _had_ to start training harder!

The trek down the tunnel took them much longer than anticipated.

"Stop stepping on my toes!"

"Get yer toes out of my way, and I will!"

"I'm cold!"

"We know."

"I'm hungry!"

"We know!"

"I'm thirsty!"

"MIKEY!"

A pause. "What?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Not since you asked me two seconds ago, Raph!"

"You ate too many coffee beans. You're acting irritable again."

"I AM NOT!"

"I'm bored!"

"WE KNOW!"

"Hey, I think I see a light up ahead!"

"No, I think that's just the water reflecting the light of my flashlight."

Silence.

"What?"

"No, that really is a light!"

"I _told_ you!"

"What_ever_, Leo!"

"I think I see—" the furthest ahead turtle screamed and ran back to hide his face against his oldest brother. "I'M NOT TOUCHIN' THAT THING!"

"Calm down, Raph," Donnie reprimanded as he reached the end of the tunnel and hopped down. He started at the sight of the decaying skeleton in front of him, but gulped down his fear. "She's dead."

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Calm down, Raphie," Leo soothed as he motioned Mikey ahead of them before seating him and Raph down, wrapping an arm around the shaking turtle's shoulders. "All we have to do is remove the ring, and she'll never bother us again."

"Got it!" Donnie exclaimed, stepping over to the skeleton and removing the ring with his thumb and index finger.

"Can we go home now?" Raph groused, burying his face in his brother's neck.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

"And you are all quite sure that nothing happened?" Splinter questioned his sons as they all looked up at him innocently from the couch.

"_Hai_, sensei!"

"And there is nothing that you want to tell me?"

"_Hai_, sensei!"

The old rat frowned before limping off to his room, the few items he had managed to scavenge forgotten. "Kids."

Once he was gone:

"Do you think she's really gone for good?" Mikey asked, eyes wide.

"Aw!" Raph leaned back against the couch. "I'm not scared of ghosts!"

"Perhaps it was just a figment of our imaginations." Donnie mused.

"Yeah," Leo agreed, leaning against the arm of the couch and smiling when Mikey flopped down and buried his head in his lap. "You're probably right."

On the floor of the dojo, the note written on the rough stationary dissolved into dust and floated away on a cold breeze, followed by a contented sigh.

**AN: Geez, this got long! Anyway, the episode was "Who Ghost There?" You can see why I didn't tell you earlier! And, no, I DO NOT believe in ghosts. I just thought it would make a cute story. Anyway, I hope nobody minds how long this is! Apparently, my muse wanted to make this really long and drawn-out. Huh. Anyway, don't forget to review and tell me what you thought! I'm always open to suggestions for other fics, just to let you know. Thanks for reading!**


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